Editorial: Public health gets a boost

Amarillo's public health infrastructure has been shored up and the public, the constituency that receives the service, will be better served.

A $2.4 million building is now being occupied by the Amarillo Department of Public Health. Health administrator Matt Richardson called it a "challenge" and a "luxury" because of tight budgets.

Indeed, it took some financial craftmanship to put the money together for the building, as Richardson would attest.

But the building is now home to the public health office, at 1000 Martin Road.

Officials report that the new digs are nearly triple the size of the old location, a portion of the J.O. Wyatt Clinic on Amarillo Boulevard.

The health screenings provided by the public authority benefits several thousand refugees annually. Indigent patients will get treatment in more spacious exam rooms. What's more staffers will be able to move about in relative comfort, rather than fighting for space in cramped quarters.

The financing comes from the Amarillo Hospital District and state and federal grants. It took time to put together all the requests for money, said Richardson.

But now that it's done, the public is going to be served better than before.

Congratulations belong to the Amarillo Public Health Department for getting the job done.